Peter Pan: Even In This Land
by Kikyz
Summary: Peter joins up with Captain Hook to recruit kids from the normal/human world to become a part of Neverland.-A chronicle of friendship, love,and the struggle of life,death and becoming man.Because it happens, even in Neverland...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is ultimately something to help wipe off the dust on my writing skills, before going back to finishing my fic __**Together: Puzzle Pieces**__. With that said, I would like to point out that this is actually a blend of the various versions of Peter Pan that I know of, combined with my own little twang.  
>The following are random scenes from would be chapters of an otherwise unwritten story.<br>Though in chronological order, scenes don't necessarily happen directly after another. Unseen events could have happened in between each break. Think of it as reading a collection of excerpts._

* * *

><p>He listens to the Lost Boys distant laughter. They had been playing some sort of game when he left them. It looked really fun too, but…Peter sighs, plopping himself down by the riverside. He cups his hands into a crude bowl, dips them in the cool, moving water; and drinks whatever doesn't spills through the cracks. He does this a few more times, just in case. He then stands, carelessly wiping his hands dry on his pants as he rose.<p>

The boys' playful laughter grows louder. Peter turns to look at the bushes and trees behind him. They hadn't followed him…that game must be really fun. He wishes he could play too—

A slopping splash fills his pointed ears. So they had followed him!  
>"You guys can't come," he cheerfully says to the sound, a smirk on his face as he turns around to face them and the river again. However, it wasn't the Lost Boys walking across the stream. "Oh. Hey, Tiger Lily."<p>

The little native girl smiles at him, standing in the shallow end on the other side of the river. He watches her in mild fascination as she hikes up her pelt skirt, higher and higher, as she crosses over. There was a short moment where the reddish brown skin of her thigh is revealed, and Peter ponders what exactly made girls so different than him. He heard somewhere, a long time ago, that they had "different equipment _down there_". But he never really bothered to learn exactly what that meant.

"What ya doin' all the way out here?" he asks, helping her out the river. She's barefoot, he notices, when she lets her skirt fall back over her knees.  
>Instead of speaking, she points to the little bag of pixie dust he had tied to his waist.<p>

She knew of his job. He's a recruiter. Once every few weeks he would disappear from Neverland, and return some time later. More often than not, with a child.  
>She wanted to go with him.<p>

"I dunno if that's such a good idea," he says, rubbing his chin in thought.  
>She glares at him.<br>"A lot of stuff happens while I'm over there and um…"  
>Her plump lips somehow form a thin line.<br>"Well…Okay!" Peter finally relents, with a shrug of his shoulders and a half smile. "Make sure ya drink some water first."

* * *

><p>His first stop in the human world is usually the Darling's residence. Something he hadn't done this time around because Tiger Lily was with him.<br>He would just peek inside their windows, and glance over their sleeping bodies. It never failed to surprise Peter just how much they had aged between visits. He never wondered inside, except on a somewhat recent visit. The house was empty for some reason. Wendy's dairy was out on a desk. She written poems, and drawn little doodles of flowers. Rather boring stuff, Peter had thought. But she also wrote down some of the dreams she had, one of them being of Peter Pan himself. Peter had flipped to a more recent entry, where she had written about a passionate moment that occurred while she was away at university. Peter didn't really understand how kissing could _ablaze her body and soul_. It also sounded rather painful, to say the least. He then grew bored of her written musing, and went on about his job.

A job he wasn't excelling at, this time around.

It's been about a week or so, he thought while perching on a tree branch. He scratches behind his left ear before going back to rubbing his chin. The peach fuzz is starting to grow back. He didn't like when recruiting took so long. The rapid changes his body undergoes when crossing over to the human world always irked him. If he had to guess, he'd say his body had matured to the mid teen years. He glances over at Tiger Lily, who's sitting next to him. She's focusing on the children below them, playing in the park. She seems to have matured to an older state of teen years. The time it takes a recruiter's body to age once they cross over varies, Peter knew. One of them, the poor john, would mature to a twenty year old in only an hour.  
>Her body had change so much, but it was a pleasant change though. He finds himself just looking at her, mind blank of any thoughts. He could compare her beauty to a painting he never wanted to stop staring at…but he found art rather boring. Tiger Lily wasn't boring. Beside, thinking of how pretty she is felt kind of weird too.<p>

Peter glance down at two boys kicking a black and white ball to each other. They look about nine or ten in age. They were laughing, and talking about something. They're happy. They aren't what Peter is looking for.

Neverland, no matter how great it is, isn't meant for the happy kids. Happy kids don't stay in Neverland. Eventually, they'll want to go home to their mommies and daddies. No, it's the sad and deserted that Peter's looking for. They're the ones that can appreciate Neverland. They're the ones that _need_ Neverland.  
>They wouldn't dream of leaving.<p>

He hadn't been successful in finding a kid to meet the standards yet. He's partly happy about this. At least happiness is still possible in this world for children. However, Peter hated going back empty handed. The Cap'n always loved to give those that did extra work. The last thing Peter wanted was to spend more time outside of Neverland. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though if he broke the rules more often, and brought Tiger Lily along.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This __is actually a blend of the various versions of Peter Pan that I know of, combined with my own little twang.  
>The following are random scenes from would be chapters of an otherwise unwritten story.<br>Though in chronological order, scenes don't necessarily happen directly after another. Unseen events could have happened in between each break. Think of it as reading a collection of excerpts._

* * *

><p>"Shh," Peter hisses at the group of boys, though he's unable wipe the smile off his face. They all sat squirming on the ground, hiding behind trees and bushes, excitement bubbling in their guts. Their devilish delight causing them to laugh and snicker, even though nothing has happened yet.<br>Peter stands back up, carefully peeking over the side of a tree. The permanently docked ship, The Jolly Roger, sat peacefully on the edge of the pink lagoon.  
>They had only been waiting for a few minutes, but he's growing impatient. "Come on, Cap'n," Peter whispers, opening the sack tied to his waist and pulling out a pair of binoculars.<p>

Nothing. Absolutely nothing is…  
>"Wow!" one of the boys exclaims as a giant puff of white explodes out of the ship. It surrounds it in a thick fog, but clears rather quickly. The boys erupt in laughter as the crew burst out onto the deck, coughing and hacking and covered in the mysterious dust. All the boys are laughing, except for Peter. Still gazing at the ship through his binoculars, he waits intently. He could care less about how ridiculous the crew looks covered in powder, or how they're tripping all over themselves.<p>

"Agh!" Captain Hook cries out, bursting onto the deck like a wild man. The corners of Peter's mouth curl up in a devilish smirk. "My ship!" Hook yells, taking in the sight. "Ugh! Look at me!" he roars, snatching up a rather short, chubby member of his crew. "Dang it all to all to hell! My outfit is RUINED!"

"Uh-um…Actually sir, white looks rather nice on you. Compliments your eyes…hee"  
>Hook drops him with a thud, not hearing the man's words at all, not even the little whimper of pain when he hits the wood.<p>

"And the worst part," Hook groans in disgust, "is that I'll have to take… a _bath_." His body itches just thinking about it. Actually, it's itching now that he isn't thinking about it. Hell, it itches all over. His crew dances around the ship, rubbing and scratching themselves the best they could. It's now that childish laughter fills Hook's ears. Another growl escapes him. "You boys are in SO MUCH TROUBLE!"

He yells right in their direction. Thinking themselves found, they all scurry away, squealing with laughter. All again, except for Peter. He continues watching and laughing as his Cap'n scratches his body in a frantic frenzy before falling off the deck.  
>"I can't swim!" Hook cries, splashing in the water. "One of you idiots save me!"<br>"Uh-um…None of us know how to swim, either, Captain."  
>"Get down here, or I'll hook the lot of ya!"<br>As Hook and his crew flap helplessly in knee deep water, Peter chuckles softly to himself.

* * *

><p>Peter gazes up at the night sky. The Lost Boys had long fallen asleep, using their varying animal hide hats as makeshift pillows. The sound of their light snores blend naturally with the night sounds of crickets and winds.<p>

He sighs at the stars. They sparkle quite beautifully against the dark purple sky, but that isn't on his mind at all. He pulls up his sleeve, glancing over the bandages. It had been a rather nasty cut, perhaps the worst he's ever had.  
>It had just kept <em>bleeding<em>! There was so much blood. Never had he seen so much of it, let alone it coming out of him. Never had he felt so…so…_afraid! _He didn't know what to do. He had been running away from Cap'n for pulling yet another prank on the poor sap. One minute Peter's running, too busy laughing to think to breathe, or look where he's going. The next, he's falling over.

He can still feel how his heart raced when he dipped his arm in the river, and how the water seemed to be replaced with his blood.  
>He also recalls how his stomach fluttered, when her fingers soothingly caresses his skin as she wraps it in the bandages.<br>Peter shudders, not wanting to think of what could have happened if Tiger Lily hadn't come along to find him frantically clutching his arm by the riverside.

"It wouldn't have happened if you weren't so mischievous," her father had said matter-of-factly, puffing smoke out of his pipe. His deep, thunderous voice rolling over Peter in a way that never failed to send a chill down the boy's back. Her father, the chief of the tribe, was always friendly. But the man's voice always had that effect on Peter.

"If I wasn't so mischievous," Peter repeats the man's words now to himself, eyes glued to his bandaged arm. He sighs again, letting his arm drop before gazing at the sky again.

He didn't know why he felt the need to do these things.  
>"He just has a playful spirit, father," Tiger Lily had voiced after her father's comment. "All boys do," she had added, hiding her pretty honey brown eyes behind her heavy lashes and continued to wrap up his arm in silence.<br>A playful spirit? Is that what made him want to pull these pranks on the Cap'n?

He remembers a time when no one was safe from his trickery. But now, it always seems to be the Cap'n, and he didn't even know why.  
>It's not like he didn't like the man. Cap'n was rather fun to be around, actually. Peter thought back to when he first joined up with Hook in this little mission to share the wonder of Neverland. What an awesome thing it was, their mission!<br>And how fun was it when they all drank beer together? The foam of it tickled Peter's nose and the liquid burned his throat, but dang it all if he didn't love knocking it back, just to throw the glass down so hard that the shattering is heard over all the roaring conversations, and quickly getting another to do it all again!

They laughed and sat in awe at all of Hook's old pirate stories. Sailing through the sky…so many amazing tales he told. Peter remembers his fascination when Cap'n had pulled off his hook, proudly displaying the hideously scarred stump where his hand had been, as he retold the story of how he fought off a ten ton gator. The hook was passed around to all the boys, and Peter can still recall the feel of the cool leather against his hand. How the silver hook gleamed under even the littlest light.

Peter didn't hate Hook. No, not at all.  
>A fun loving adventurer! Carefree and living life! He's actually the kind of man Peter wants become…<p>

Becoming a man.  
>Peter rolls his eyes at the very notion. He isn't a man, nor will he ever be one. He'll always be a twelve year old <em>boy<em>.  
>He wasn't sure why that felt so bittersweet. Shouldn't it just be, ya know, sweet? He <em>wants <em>to be a kid, didn't he? Isn't that what made Neverland so appealing? Is that not the reason he made sure to drink as much of the water as possible before crossing over to the human world, so that he could return as a boy and not a teenager nor man?

Peter squeezes his eyes shut, a headache beginning to pound inside his head. The sound of jingle bells soothes him. He opens his eyes ever so slightly. A tiny pixie woman is floating over his face, the glow of pixie dust surrounding her makes her look heavenly.

"Hey Tink," he greets her, slapping on his trademark devil grin. Her little cheeks became red, but he didn't seem to notice the effect he has on her. Not that this is any surprise to Tinkerbell. She long since notice that he's oblivious to such things, and she thank the stars for his denseness. Partly because her crush on the boy is a little more than embarrassing, but mostly because it meant that he'll never leave her for one of those floozy girls that he always manages to attract.

"Are ya just dropping in?" he asks, careful to keep his voice low for the sake of the Boys. She floats over to his wrapped up arm. She says something, but it only comes out as the sound of chiming bells to Peter. Yet, somehow, he understands her completely. "Oh, you heard about this?"

More chiming bells.

"Nah, it's just a little scratch. No big thing, really. Don't know what the fuss is about," he laughs. The chiming became rapid, as her little face grows red in anger as she scolds him. He sighs, his smile faltering for just a second. She catches the sadness in his eyes, even though it came and went in a flash. She sticks her nose up at the bandages. She has a feeling as to who had placed them there. She rips open the coverings, and Peter didn't question her. She gasps at the ugly sight of the wound, forgetting her unwarranted jealousy. She glances at Peter, but he's star gazing. She turns back to the wound, placing her hand over it. Her little hands feel like ants crawling up and down his arm. His limb slowly starts to glow from the pixie dust.

When the glow dims away, Peter's listens to the soft sounds of a ringing jingle bell.  
>"Yep, I am all better."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

__A/N: This __is actually a blend of the various versions of Peter Pan that I know of, combined with my own little twang. The following are random scenes from would be chapters of an otherwise unwritten story. Though in chronological order, scenes don't necessarily happen directly after another. Unseen events could have happened in between each break. Think of it as reading a collection of excerpts.__

* * *

><p>Peter glances into the window of the Darling's residence. So much has changed. The bunk beds were gone. In their place now stand a crib and a rocking chair. The blue paint is now covered by pink and white wallpaper. Even the carpet has been ripped up, and replaced with hard wood flooring. Is this a nursery? Did one of the Darling kids have a baby?<br>The thought confounds Peter. He doubts he'll ever adjust to the time difference between here and Neverland. To him, it has only been a few months since his first recruiting effort with these guys. And even though it had ended in failure, seeing as they wanted to go back home, they all had bonded. However, he never made himself known to them afterwards. It was against the rules to do so.

The baby begins to cry, making Peter jump in surprise. The light from the hall floods the room, and Peter quickly moves from the middle of the window. He slowly peeks into the window again, seeing a young woman bouncing the crying baby in her arms. Wendy? He squints. Yep, it's her.  
>A man then stands in the doorway, a face Peter didn't recognize. He's wiping his glasses on his shirt; he strolls in, before placing them on his face. He says something before taking the babe from Wendy. They exchange a soft kiss and Wendy smiles before leaving the room. The man then sits and begins to gently sway in rocking chair. He starts to sing, his voice dry and tired.<p>

* * *

><p>"Is this okay?" Peter, body aged to about fifteen, asks the man behind the desk at the little inn. The inn teller eyes widen, mouth agape, as he stares at the golden piece Peter had placed in his hand only seconds ago. Peter didn't know what has the man so shaken.<p>

"H-How long do…How long are you planning to stay here?" he asks Peter.  
>Peter shrugs, looking over his shoulder at Tiger Lily. "I dunno. A few days maybe?"<p>

Still taken aback by the overpay, he grabs the keys to the best room they offered.

* * *

><p>They sit in the park again, looking over all the kids. Peter eyes then wander over to some kids around eleven or so. He watches as the boy quickly looks around before stealing a kiss from the girl next to him. Peter rubs his chin, wondering what was so appealing about pressing lips. How did Wendy describe it in her little dairy? Something about fire…<p>

The sun sets and all the kids are gone. Tiger Lily drops down from the tree, like a cat, landing on her feet. Peter quickly joins her. He sprinkles pixie dust on them, and they fly back to the inn, entering via the window.

She tosses the heavy garments off her body until she's only in the slip meant to go under dresses. She didn't like wearing this world's clothes. She prefers the handcrafted pelts her people made, but she had to fit in, which is hard enough with her complexion.

She crawls into the bed with Peter, nuzzling into him the way she always had. "Is there something wrong, Peter?" she questions. "There's been a change in you since…Since your accident."

"Has there?" Peter replies in genuine surprise, before shrugging. "I haven't noticed a change." His voice sounds weird to his ears. However, he kind of likes the slight bass in his voice.

"Your spirit…your soul is so uncertain, but I don't know why," she says softly.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure my soul will figure it out," he says with a laugh. She frowns at how lightly her word had been taken, and rolls to her side. "Aw, don't be sore with me," he says, tugging her on her back. He quickly climbs atop of her, pinning her down. She smiles, and it takes all of her power to flip him over so she's on top, only for him to roll her onto her back again. They go back and forth like this for a while before Peter final gets a good hold on her. "You've been pinned," he says playfully, though his voice sounds huskier than before. He looks down at her, her eyes telling him something. Her face is flushed and he can feel her heart beating fast. Or is that his heart?  
>His eyes become lidded as she closes hers. For once, Peter realizes that she wants something from him, and that he wants something from her as well. What that something is exactly, he hadn't a clue. Or perhaps…<p>

He leans down ever so slowly before capturing her plump lips with his mouth.

He feels her body tense up. Did he do it wrong? Did she not like it? Or did he misunderstand the situation completely, and this isn't what she wants at all?  
>His first reaction is to pull away, but before he can, her body relaxes into his.<p>

She wraps her arms around him.


	4. Chapter 4

___A/N: This __is actually a blend of the various versions of Peter Pan that I know of, combined with my own little twang. The following are random scenes from would be chapters of an otherwise unwritten story. Though in chronological order, scenes don't necessarily happen directly after another. Unseen events could have happened in between each break. Think of it as reading a collection of excerpts.___

* * *

><p>"Peter, what's with you lately?"<p>

He doesn't respond, his mind too busy thinking about his last visit to the human world. He must have stared at his reflection all night after the returned back to Neverland. His chiseled chin and jaw are gone, along with his height and extra hair. It's something he's usually grateful for when he returns. But now…he didn't know.

"You haven't been meeting the quota at all recently."

He couldn't deny that he kind of like the way he looks as a teen. He thought he looked rugged; Strong; Manly. He thinks of the light muscle tone his body naturally took on, and knew he could do some damage with those fists. Maybe take down a _twenty_ ton gator. He could easily set sail through Neverland if he always looked like that.

"Peter? Peter Pan, you listening to me?"

The Boys and Tink will be his crew, and Tiger Lily will be his first mate. The image of her lying under him decides then to enter his brain. The way she licks her juicy lips before pressing them against him made Peter shiver for some reason. His body would always get so warm when she kisses him. Feelings he didn't fully comprehend flutter within him. Is this that fire thing Wendy had written about feeling?

"Peter!" Hook yells, finally snapping Peter out of his thoughts. The pirate sighs, and he suddenly appears so much older to Peter. Did he always had those bags under his eyes, or those little wrinkles in the corners them…what are those things called?

"Crow's feet," Peter whispers to himself as Hook stood up from his chair. They were sitting in his private quarters on the ship.

"Peter, I know you've been taking that little native with you on the other side," Hook said, a little surprise to see the boy's cheeks get all rosy. It wasn't a big secret to anyone how dimwitted Peter is when it came to the opposite sex, and even though he thought the girl had been distracting him from the mission, Hook didn't think the boy had figured anything out.

"I'm sorry, Cap'n," he remarks, head down, cheeks still red. Hook lifts a questioning eyebrow at the boy. Had that been…? No, couldn't have. No way had Peter, THE Peter Pan, just sincerely apologized for breaking the rules. It just wasn't done, was it?

"Peter, you little devil you. What have you been doing with her?" Hooks voice sounding very playful. Though, it isn't in that kid like way Peter is used to. It sounded like they were on the verge of one of those conversations his Cap'n reserves strictly for his crew. Was Peter apart of the crew now?

"Nothing much," Peter says casually, finally getting over his initial shyness. "We kiss and hold hands and junk. Whatever." He shrugs, like it's no big thing.

"Kissing, eh" Hook says, playfully jabbing an elbow into Peter's arm. "So she's your girl, right?"

"M-my girl?" Peter's demeanor stumbles. He hadn't really thought about that too much. He still thought of her as his friend.

Hook then realizes that maybe the boy hadn't figured everything out quite just yet.

"Whatever the case, you haven't been pulling your share recently. So I'm sending you back,"

"Okay, Cap'n."

Hook rubs the back of his neck with his good hand, in disbelief. Not a single complaint? No fuss at all? Just taking orders? "You're becoming quite the little soldier, Peter Pan."

* * *

><p>"Hey Tiger," he says as he approaches her, leaving off the other half of her name for real reason at all. Her warm smile acts as her greeting, and he shivers in anticipation when her pink tongue peaks out to moisten her lips. They both lean in for a kiss, her arms fast to encircle him. His arms always stay at his side, mainly because he has no idea what to do with them. But the kiss is short, so he doesn't have to worry about it for too long.<p>

"Ready to go?" he asks, opening his little sack, tossing a pinch of pixie dust on them. She quickly tugs on his sleeve, telling him to wait. She points to the river. He lifts a questioning brom at her.

"What is it, Tiger?"

"You didn't drink from the river."

"Oh...yeah, I must have forgotten."  
>He dips a hand in, and drinks.<p>

* * *

><p>Her foot travels up and down his leg.<p>

"Yeah, I'm awake," he replies to her silent inquiry. He rolls around, so that they're facing each other. She looks at him, but then her eyes drift away from his. "It's okay, you can ask me whatever."

"Is it not…Don't you think it's wrong? Separating families like this?"

Peter rubs his chin, the skin still smooth. "What are ya talking about, Tiger?"

"Never mind," she says, her voice much lower than before. They fall back into silence.

It's always the kid's choice on rather or not they want to stay in Neverland. Hook directed the recruiters to go after the unhappy children. If they're unhappy, then their families have failed them.  
>Right?<br>Right.

Peter nods to himself, certain that the goal his Cap'n has is pure and without faults.

"Whatever happens to the kids you guys bring to Neverland?" Tiger Lily pips, almost out of nowhere.

"They live in Neverland," he replies, a pinch of annoyance in his voice. Isn't the answer to that obvious?

She's silent for moment, picking up on the negativity in his voice. However, she continues after the initial short pause, "I never see them afterwards."

He rubs his chin again. He never really thought much about where the kids do or go in Neverland after deciding to stay. But Neverland is a big place. They could be frolicking anywhere. So Peter turns on his other side, their backs facing each other. Her voice burns his ears.

"Not even once."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: This __is actually a blend of the various versions of Peter Pan that I know of, combined with my own little twang.  
>The following are random scenes from would be chapters of an otherwise unwritten story.<br>Though in chronological order, scenes don't necessarily happen directly after another. Unseen events could have happened in between each break. Think of it as reading a collection of excerpts._

* * *

><p>Peter's laughter grew louder as Hook's hat slumps down into his face, momentarily blinding the boy. He pushes the pirate's hat upwards, just in time to see his Cap'n throw his head back in laughter.<p>

Peter forgot how painful his heart is breaking.

* * *

><p>"Neverland."<br>Peter watches as his Cap'n stops pacing the room, the man's back facing the boy, and uses his hooked hand to stab the map of Neverland taped on the wall of head pirate's private cabin.  
>"A land where you never grow up…" Hook's voice, somber and dark, trails off. He slowly runs his hook through the map. The ripping sound echoes in the silent room.<p>

"I know you're young, Peter…Or at least you appear to be. You probably never thought about _mortality_."

Peter thinks back to when his arm had been cut open. It's been a few months since it happened, but it's still fresh in his mind…the unshakable fear that made his heart pump at ten speed.

"Did you know that people die, even in Neverland?" Hook says just as he splits the map completely in half. The room is silent once again. Peter stares uneasily at the back of his Cap'n. The man stood like a statue, so much so that Peter began to wonder if the pirate had become stone somehow.  
>"Don't even feel like myself anymore," Hook finally speaks again, slightly easing the nerves of Peter. "Who am I anyway?" he continues, turning his head just enough to let Peter view his sullen profile. "A silly pirate? A child in a man's body? A man running from responsibility? … Some kind of demon."<br>"Cap'n?" Peter pips in confusion and fear.  
>"Doesn't really matter, I guess. I'm not really even here anymore."<p>

Hook glances at Peter, the two making eye contact. Peter feels like the man isn't so much as looking at him, but his very soul. Peter had a similar experience with Tiger Lily, back when they were still friends. However, with Tiger Lily it didn't feel nearly as invasive or uncomfortable as now with Hook.

The man let out a heavy sigh, lifting the black hat off of his head to run his fingers through his raven hair. Peter took notice of gray hairs that were hidden by the hat. Those hairs weren't there a few days ago. Or maybe he simply never notices it before. Peter didn't contemplate it much. Hook places the hat back on his head, and turns away from Peter once again.

"Sometimes I look into your eyes and I can see myself as a child. Other times I see a man, a man I don't know."  
>Peter isn't sure what to think of Hook's words, but there is a part of him that swells happily from his Cap'n thinking they were similar. The room is then silent for what feels like an eternity.<p>

Then, suddenly, Hook lets out a loud laugh that utterly confounds Peter.

"Oh, dear boy…I forget why I even called you in here," Hook says in the mist of his laughter. He pats Peter on the shoulder in an endearing way. Hook helps Peter to his feet, and guides him to the door of the cabin.

* * *

><p>"It was a zombie!" Peter hears one of the Lost Boys say as he packs up his sack. He doesn't turn around to see which one. He knew it was Slightly.<p>

"Nuh unh!" another Lost Boy replies.

"Yeah hunh!"

The two continue going back and forth like that as Peter made his way to the river, Tinkerbell fluttering by his side.

* * *

><p>The first time Peter ever saw Tiger Lily had been in the woods, so long ago Peter barely remember what life was like then. Peter and the Lost Boys had been wandering the forest when they had stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a Native. At the time, running into Natives was a rare thing for the boys. They knew little about the natives, and the natives knew little about them. They avoided each other at all costs. Or, at least, they usually did.<p>

The native girl walked slowly along the trail, unknowing of her audience. Peter could still hear the fearful gasps of the Boys upon seeing the in axe in her hand. Every so often, she would expertly spin the axe by its handle. Their fear was then replaced with a devilish delight. They had all looked at each other with gleams in their eyes, picking up sticks and rocks. Except for Cubby, the youngest of the Lost Boys. He had removed his cat pelt hat, too busy scratching his curly brown hair to notice the scene that's about to unfold.

Peter had released a mock war cry, jumping out of the shrubbery he and the Boys had been hiding behind. The boys quickly followed, Cubby stumbling behind them. The native girl jumped back in surprise, dashing away at the sight of them. They followed her relentlessly, Slightly (or at least Peter thought it had been Slightly) managed to hit her with a rock in such a way that it made her fumble and fall. Before any of them had gotten too close, she swung the axe madly around her, forcing them to step back. Her brown eyes, which he would later associate with tenderness and love, had burned wildly with hatred and strength. She didn't have to speak. He had known, from the way her flaming eyes flickered to each of them, that if either of them so much as sneezed in her direction that she would cut off their heads. So Peter stayed still, watching as she eases her way on to her feet.

However, it seemed that the Boys couldn't read her as easily as Peter did. One of them, Peter forgotten which one exactly, had stepped toward her. She threw the axe so fast, Peter could barely recall her doing it at all. The blade barely missed the Boys, and Peter's gut was filled with anger. She could have _killed_ his boys!

Weaponless, the girl took off. Peter took off after her, rage fueling his pursuit. They ran through the forest so fast, and so long, Peter wasn't sure how either of them was able to keep it up. He had finally managed to grab on to her sloppy braid, yanking her backwards. He would have smiled in triumph in capturing the native, a feat no one in Neverland could claim to have done prior to or since after. He didn't, though, for she howled out the most painful cry he had ever heard. He quickly released her. The warrior him and they Boys wanted to test had crumbled into a frightened little girl. Her eyes had glossed over with held back tears, her body trembling. Any feeling of victory or anger Peter had, vanished.

Before he was able to do anything, a man had appeared. The man, who Peter would learn to be girl's father and chief, had picked Peter up by the neck. The man's large hand easily lifted and strangled Peter.

"Tiger Lily," the chief called to the girl, his stony eyes never left Peter's. Peter stared wide eyed at the man, unsure of what was going to happen to him. "Mischievous soul," Peter heard the man mumble, before he turns away to look at the girl. "Tiger Lily?" he called to her again, his voice booming like thunder, this time it sounded like he was asking her something.

She shook her head, silently telling him no.

He releases Peter, letting the boy drop to the ground. It was then that the Lost Boys finally caught up to their leader, stopping when they saw the powerful man standing over Peter. The man glared at them, daring them to move. He then turned and picked up the still trembling Tiger Lily. Once the Boys could no longer hear the man's footsteps, they ran to Peter. Their leader shrugged off the encounter and not long after they were frolicking through the trees like nothing a happened.

But it had happened, and a day or so later Peter had saw the girl again. Perched alone in a tree, Peter rubbed his chin. She looked like she was searching for something. He had secretly followed her around throughout the forest, even when she took a detour from her mission to swim in the river. He had done this for a second day, following her around until he got bored. The third day, however, he had decided to approach her. He can remember the fear and hatred that flashed in her eyes upon seeing him. She had quickly pulled out a bow and an arrow, aiming it directly between Peter's eyes. He lifts up his hands, trying his best not to seem threatening when he walked closer to her.

"Hey," Peter greeted.

She glared.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that."

Her glare had softened slightly; surprise twinkled in her brown eyes. Her eye brow twitched.

Peter shrugged at her silent question.

Her muscles relaxed and she no longer glared, but she didn't lower her weapon. She bit her lower lip, her brows furrowed again.

"We thought you were a warrior, and just wanted to see how tough you were. We were only playing."

Her glare returns, and it felt like she was stabbing him.  
>"That's a cruel way to play."<p>

Her voice had surprised him. He had thought her to be mute, and had not expected such a lovely voice—or a voice at all—to come from her.

Looking at her, stony expression and aiming an arrow at his head, the thrill of taking her on filled his gut just like it had when he and the Boys first saw her. But then he had remembered her trembling, on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry," Peter said, much more sincerely than his previous apology. She lowered her weapon, her face expressionless.

"I forgive you, but I do not trust you."

Peter shrugs. It was good enough. She had explained that she was looking for her axe, and he offered to help. They would meet up and look for the lost weapon on a daily basis, until eventually they stopped looking and simply played together in the forest.

Time moved on, the two had become friends, and the awful way they met was a long, distant memory.

Now, Peter stares at the old axe he had found in a bush that day, walking towards the Jolly Roger. Tinkerbell flutters around the object in Peter's hand. She opens her mouth, letting out soothing bell chimes. Peter didn't answer her, his mind swirling with memories. This had to be her axe. It just had to. He knew it in his heart.

He didn't know what to do with it though.

Tiger Lily is angry at him, for the first time since becoming friends. He's angry at her too. They weren't friends anymore. They weren't any thing anymore.

Returning the axe meant he would see her. He wants to see her, but…

Peter frowns. He stops walking. He swings the axe into a tree. It stays, the blade wedged between the tree's hard bark. The sudden rush of anger causes Tinkerbell to fly away by instinct. He storms away, entering the Jolly Roger where his Cap'n happily greets him.

Peter smiles when Hook places his hat on the boy's head. They walk towards the dining area of the ship, a night a beer guzzling and tall tales ahead of them. Peter glances up at his Cap'n, noticing his jet black hair. Hadn't there been some greys sprinkled on the captain's head?

"Someone get my mate a drop of ale!" Hook hollers upon opening the door. His mate? As in, his first mate? Hook's second in command?

Peter grins widely.


End file.
